PERMISSION is being sought to alter planning conditions attached to proposals for a new nursery in Dunfermline.

An application for the change of use of Rannoch House, on the corner of New Row and Comely Park, was given the go-ahead in August.

Permission to turn the Victorian villa, previously used by the council as a social work office, into a nursery was first given in September 2015 but no work was carried out and the three-year permission lapsed.

Since the latest proposals were granted, a fresh request has been lodged to remove two of the planning conditions.

The developers want one condition, requiring a two-metres-wide pedestrian footpath to be provided along Comely Park, to be removed as they say it requires the relocation of a substantial pier. A report to planners says that investigations into the pier have shown this cannot be removed without a “potentially catastrophic impact” on the boundary wall.

A request has also been made to change another condition requiring the provision of 11 drop-off/pick-up spaces and 14 staff parking spaces.

The supporting statement adds: “We would propose to reduce the drop-off/pick-up spaces to six spaces and the staff parking to nine spaces. We still propose to provide two accessible parking spaces. The proposals would be for a maximum of 50 children at any one time, morning and afternoon session, with 12 staff members, 10 play leaders, one chef and one manager.”

The original application from Afzal Ghafoor, from Tranent, said the nursery would be open 52 weeks per year, Monday to Friday from 7.30am to 6.30pm, with up to 50 children attending the morning session and another 50 attending in the afternoon.

There were five objections over parking, noise and access.